Domenicali Out As Ferrari F-1 Boss

Stefano Domenicali has resigned from his position as team principal of the Ferrari Formula One team beginning immediately.

He will be replaced by Marco Mattiacci, currently president and CEO of Ferrari North America.

Ferrari have had a disappointing start to the 2014 season, with neither Fernando Alonso nor Kimi Raikkonen scoring a podium over the first three races. In a statement, Domenicali said he takes “responsibility, as I have always done, for our current situation”.

“There are special moments that come along in everyone’s professional life, when one needs courage to take difficult and very agonising decisions. It is time for a significant change,” Domenicali said. “This decision has been taken with the aim of doing something to shake things up and for the good of this group of people that I feel very close to. With all my heart, I thank all the men and women in the team, the drivers and the partners for the wonderful relationship we have enjoyed over all these years.

“I hope that very soon, Ferrari will be back where it deserves to be.My final words of thanks go to our President, for having always supported me and to all our fans. I only regret that we have been unable to harvest what we worked so hard to sow in recent years.”

Domenicali joined Ferrari in 1991 and after a series of promotions was appointed sporting director in 2003, when Michael Schumacher took the fourth of his five straight world championship crowns with the team. He then took over from Jean Todt as team principal ahead of the 2008 season.

The team secured the constructors’ championship in Domenicali’s first year in charge, but have since failed to clinch the drivers’ crown despite several near misses.